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

TELEVISION

Quayle: No Problem With ‘Friends’

Former Vice President Dan Quayle says the nation’s moral climate--including lower teen pregnancy rates and greater respect for marriage--is in far better shape than a decade ago, when he delivered a speech criticizing the CBS sitcom “Murphy Brown” for portraying single motherhood as “just another lifestyle choice.”

In retrospect, he told the National Press Club Thursday, he was unhappy about the “controversy and the nonsense and outrageous [media] coverage” of the criticism, but said he doubted that it affected his losing bid for reelection alongside President George H.W. Bush.

Quayle, 55, went easy on Jennifer Aniston’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy on NBC’s hit series “Friends,” pointing out that at least there’s a father on the scene. And he even had kind words for MTV’s “The Osbournes,” a real-life glimpse into the dysfunctional family of rocker Ozzy Osbourne. The series, he said, depicts an intact family and delivers an anti-drug message.

“Look at [Osbourne] and how fried his brains are from taking drugs all those years,” Quayle remarked. “Everyone will say, ‘I don’t want to be like that.’”

TV Stint Unlikely, Clinton Says

Former President Bill Clinton told National Public Radio on Friday that, despite a recent meeting with NBC executives, the prospect of his hosting a TV talk show is a long shot.

“I don’t think this is going to happen,” he said. “I’d be surprised if it did.”

New Combatants in Celebrity Boxing

As expected, John Wayne Bobbitt vs. Joey Buttafuoco will be the centerpiece of “Celebrity Boxing 2,” a follow-up special that Fox has scheduled for May 22, the final night of the current rating sweeps.

In addition to Bobbitt-Buttafuoco, the bouts will include former football star William “The Refrigerator” Perry against 7-foot-7 basketball player Manute Bol.

Two additional matches have yet to be set, with Fox expanding the special to 90 minutes this time around. The last hour goes opposite the season finale of NBC’s “The West Wing.”

The first “Celebrity Boxing,” which featured Tonya Harding sparring with Paula Jones, drew solid ratings for the network in March, winning its time slot with 15.5 million viewers, albeit against a “West Wing” rerun.

THEATER

‘Cats’ Winds Up 21-Year Run in London

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical “Cats” will prowl off the London stage for good tonight, its 21st birthday, with an intricately choreographed mass finale featuring members of the original cast.

Elaine Paige, Brian Blessed and Wayne Sleep, who starred in the first “Cats,” will join about 150 other former and present cast members at the celebration at the New London Theatre, where it has played since 1981.

The show is the longest-running musical production, both in London’s West End and on Broadway in New York. Theater bosses announced in January that, despite the fact that attendance was good, it’s no longer economical to continue staging such an expensive production at the New London.

MOVIES

‘Perfect Storm’ Suit Thrown Out by Judge

A case brought by relatives of crewmen depicted in Warner Bros.’ “The Perfect Storm” has been dismissed by a federal judge who ruled in favor of the studio on all counts.

Objecting to the way their family members were portrayed, the plaintiffs alleged that Warner Bros. didn’t have the right to make the movie without first obtaining their permission and compensating them.

Deals, Deals and ... Yes, More Deals

Paramount Pictures is teaming with Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner to produce a new feature version of H.G. Wells’ “The War of the Worlds.”

‘Blow’ and Demme Get Prism Honors

“Blow,” starring Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz, received this year’s Prism Award for best feature film--an honor given to projects that accurately depict drug, alcohol and tobacco use in TV, movies, music and comic books.

At the ceremonies Wednesday night, Cruz presented a special tribute to the film’s director, Ted Demme, who died Jan. 13 in Santa Monica.

Other winners of the ninth annual awards included ABC’s “My Wife and Kids” and “All My Children,” Lifetime’s “The Division,” NBC’s “Third Watch” and ABC’s “Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows.”

QUICK TAKES

Eddie Van Halen, battling tongue cancer for two years, now has a clean bill of health from his doctors, according to his Web site .... Louie Anderson is out as host of the syndicated “Family Feud” TV game show, to be replaced this fall by Richard Karn, the actor who played handyman Al on “Home Improvement.” ABC has ordered 13 episodes of a new version of the cop series “Dragnet” from Dick Wolf, the creator of NBC’s “Law & Order.” Chita Rivera will play the lead in the Mark Taper Forum production of “The House of Bernarda Alba,” opening July 25.... The Pasadena Playhouse has announced the addition of Pamela Gien’s “The Syringa Tree” to its lineup. Previews of the South African-themed play, directed by Larry Moss, begin on Oct. 29 .... Pax TV has ordered another season of four series: “Doc,” “It’s a Miracle,” “Candid Camera” and “Miracle Pets”.... “Talk Soup,” E! Entertainment Television’s first breakout hit, is ending production after 11 seasons, E online reports.