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

POP/ROCK

Caucus Spotlights Latino Shortfall

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has invited several Latin music labels to San Antonio on Sept. 8 to draw attention to the payment gap between Latin musicians and their industry peers.

“They’ve been making big bucks at the tejano and Latin artists’ expense,� said Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-Texas), who will lead the hearing. “We are going to hold them accountable.�

The major music labels--Sony, EMI, Warner/Elektra/Atlantic, Universal, BMG--and several independents abide by the Phonograph Record Label Agreement, negotiated in the 1950s. It provides for a professional pay scale for musicians based on talent and budget, as well as for Social Security payments, a share of ongoing record sales, pensions and health insurance payments.

Though Latin music divisions such as Universal Music Latino and BMG U.S. Latin honor the agreement, EMI Latin, Sony Discos and WEA Latino do not.

“We want Congress to investigate and look into [whether they are] really separate companies,� said Michael Muniz, director of Latino organizing for the American Federation of Musicians.

Other music genres, such as country, he notes, are not differentiated from parent companies and abide by the rules.

A spokesman for Sony Discos said they are considering Rodriguez’s invitation.

Warner/Elektra/Atlantic and EMI did not return calls for comment.

Teen Sentenced to Polka Music for Blaring Stereo

A Cambridge, Ohio, judge came up with a novel way of punishing a man convicted of driving with his truck’s stereo blaring and his windows rolled down. Pay a $100 fine or listen to four hours of polka king Frankie Yankovic’s greatest hits.

“Most of the time I try to impart the Golden Rule to people: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you,� explained Municipal Judge John Nicholson. “You may enjoy listening to your music, but many people do not want to hear [it].�

Why polkas? Because he doubted that the 19-year-old would be a fan of the Cleveland polka legend, who died in 1998, the judge explained.

Still, the defendant, Alan Law, opted for the music. He listened to the full four hours of Yankovic’s tunes, which include “Blue Skirt Waltz,� “Who Stole the Kishka� and “Too Fat Polka,� at a police station Thursday.

Rappers, Reggae Singer Charged With Profanity

Snoop Dogg and Ja Rule were charged with using indecent language during performances at the recent Sumfest music festival in the resort town of Montego Bay, Jamaica. The two rappers will be asked to appear in a magistrate’s court on Sep. 27.

Reggae performer Beenie Man was also charged with profanity in his performance in the trouble-plagued festival and was summoned to appear in court on that date, along with seven other local acts.

The singer, who won the best reggae album Grammy this year for “Art and Life,� has also been banned from the festival for 12 months in the wake of a dispute with another artist during his Aug. 2 concert.

Penalties for the profanity charges were not disclosed.

TELEVISION

Cates on ‘Sabbatical’ From Oscar Show

Wanted: a producer for this year’s Oscar telecast. Must have a watch that keeps good time, nerves of steel and a tolerance for large egos.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is on the lookout for someone to oversee Hollywood’s biggest showcase on March 24, now that veteran Gil Cates is taking what academy President Frank Pierson calls a “sabbatical.�

Cates, who has produced 10 of the last 12 Oscar telecasts, is not only producing director of the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood but also is directing a film based on James Agee’s “A Death in the Family.�

Better Not Broadcast ‘Sex and the City’

India hopes to glue people to their television sets at bedtime to cut down on sex--and unwanted population increases.

According to the country’s Health Minister, C.P. Thakur, the government has decided to make television sets cheaper for India’s entertainment-starved masses.

“Entertainment is an important component of the population policy,� Thakur explained to Parliament. “We want people to watch television.�

Officials are worried that India’s population, which crossed the billion mark in May, will soon overtake the world’s most populous nation, China.

PEOPLE

Cher in Court Over Hiring Allegations

Jury selection has begun in a lawsuit accusing Cher of firing an accountant for disclosing labor violations, including the hiring of illegal immigrants, during construction of the entertainer’s Malibu mansion. The plaintiff, Salvatore Sampino, alleges undocumented day laborers were paid cash for their work and were not offered worker’s compensation benefits or overtime.

Artemis Design and Consulting, the principal contractor on the home, and Inshallah Trust Project, a family trust controlled by the entertainer, are also named as defendants.

Sampino, who says he was fired in May 2000, sued the entertainer two months later. He seeks unspecified damages for wrongful termination, retaliation, sexual harassment, defamation, unfair competition, negligence and unpaid wages.

Cher and her attorneys have denied the accusations, saying Sampino wasn’t fired but quit. Besides, they say, he was an employee of Artemis, not one of theirs.

The trial in L.A. Superior Court is expected to last several weeks.

THE ARTS

Earplugs for Symphony Orchestra Players?

Musicians playing in the brass and woodwind sections of modern symphony orchestras should be required to wear earplugs on at least half their working days, a new study by the Assn. of British Orchestras suggests.

Almost half the brass players surveyed reported noise-induced hearing damage.

Some pieces--and instruments--cause more pain than others. Seventy-nine percent of those surveyed reported discomfort while performing Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture or Verdi’s Requiem. Trombone and piccolo players are particularly at risk.

“The trombone is very close to the head of the player,� explains researcher Alison Wright Reid. “And the piccolo is extremely close to the player--abnormally loud for a woodwind instrument.�

QUICK TAKES

Connie Chung’s exclusive interview with Rep. Gary Condit last week had some solid coattails for ABC’s late-night shows: “Nightline� averaged 4.8 million viewers, its highest weekly average since January, and “Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher� drew 2.7 million viewers for the week, its best performance in more than four months....The seventh annual Los Angeles Art Show, including works by Ed Ruscha , Matisse, Zuniga and leading contemporary artists, will be held Sept. 13-16 at UCLA’s John Wooden Center.