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

POP/ROCK

‘Hee Haw’ Has the Last Laugh, Laughs First

“Crying Time”? Not for Buck Owens. The country singer, “Hee Haw” star and entrepreneur finds himself in good company in the March issue of Worth magazine, which features an intriguing ranking of America’s wealthiest citizens. The “richest person in town” list names the most affluent resident in each of the top 100 U.S. metropolitan areas, and Owens takes the title for Bakersfield.

Add up royalties from years of songwriting and four dozen Top 10 country hits (among them “Crying Time,” “Act Naturally” and “Together Again”), the paychecks from his 15-year run on “Hee Haw” and--most important--his profits from buying and selling radio stations, and the 72-year-old Owens ends up with a net worth of $125 million, the magazine reports.

No matter how many bucks he has in the bank, Owens told Worth he’s been happy to call Bakersfield home for 50 years. “There ain’t,” he said, “no better place to live.”

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Fast Music a Driving Distraction, Study Says

Fast music can be harmful to your health--at least, if you’re behind the wheel. According to a study in Israel, drivers who listen to up-tempo tunes may have more than twice as many accidents as those listening to slower tracks.

That finding, reports NewScientist.com, is especially worrisome because the car is now the place where people most often listen to music.

Warren Brodsky tested 28 of his students at Ben-Gurion University in Beer-Sheva, using a driving simulator. While they drove around simulated streets of Chicago, the students listened to music ranging from laid-back George Benson ballads to driving club fare--played very loud. As the tempo increased, they were found to take greater risks, such as jumping red lights. And they had more than twice as many accidents--suggesting that what they listened to made them less alert.

“We need more research into the effects of distractions in cars,” said Roger Vincent of Britain’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

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PEOPLE

Oscar Pales to Getting Knighted, Kingsley Says

Ben Kingsley was knighted on Tuesday, an honor that he told Queen Elizabeth II was far greater than receiving an Academy Award.

“I told the queen that winning an Oscar pales into insignificance. This is insurmountable,” Kingsley said after the ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London. The 58-year-old won a best actor Oscar for starring in the 1982 movie “Gandhi” and is up for best supporting actor in the gangster thriller “Sexy Beast.”

“I’ve been nominated for an Academy Award, but I will be sitting there, in Los Angeles, thinking I’m a knight bachelor,” he said. The Oscar ceremony is on Sunday.

Lynn Redgrave, who first gained fame with the title role in “Georgy Girl” in 1966 and earned a 1998 Academy Award nomination for “Gods and Monsters,” was invested Tuesday as an Officer of the Order of British Empire, or OBE.

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RADIO

All Things Considered, NPR Is Doing Great

National Public Radio says its programs attracted record audiences last fall, with 19.5 million people tuning in each week--up 19% from the same period in 2000.

The network cites Arbitron ratings data as showing an average gain of 19% for NPR news- magazines, 32% for NPR talk shows and 15% for NPR entertainment programs. Not coincidentally, the period of study covered the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., when the public appetite for all news outlets was heightened.

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TELEVISION

‘All My Children’

Kisses Up to Revlon

The daytime soap opera “All My Children” has sold its newest story line to cosmetics giant Revlon. Daily Variety reported Tuesday that Revlon is paying ABC between $3 million and $7 million to be featured on the daytime series.

Real-life Revlon will serve as the archrival to the fictional Enchantment brand of beauty products owned by Erica Kane (played by the series’ longtime star Susan Lucci). The story line will be featured over the course of three months, or 25 episodes, during which Revlon will pay to run support ads.

Revlon had no comment on the report, and ABC spokeswoman Sallie Schoneboom told Associated Press that the story idea was generated by the show’s writers.

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QUICK TAKES

CBS’ sitcom “Baby Bob” premiered to impressive ratings Monday, averaging 15.6 million viewers and improving on the audience for the show preceding it, “King of Queens.” ... Jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson has canceled her April 4 concert at the Wiltern Theatre because of a scheduling conflict. Refunds will be given at point-of-purchase.... Christine Baranski will play Lillian Hellman and Cherry Jones will portray Mary McCarthy in “Imaginary Friends,” Nora Ephron’s new “play with music,” featuring a score by Marvin Hamlisch and Craig Carnelia. The premiere is scheduled Sept. 28-Nov. 3 at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, staged by Globe Theatres’ artistic director Jack O’Brien.