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

TELEVISION

Bleeping ‘Jesus’ Triggers Public Complaints

ABC says it edited the word “Jesus� out of its daytime program “The View� so viewers wouldn’t be offended. But for many, it had the opposite effect--drawing the ire of the Rev. Jerry Falwell, some conservative media watchdogs and about 100 letters of complaint.

“It is political correctness run amok,� said Elizabeth Swasey, spokeswoman for the Media Research Center.

The bleeping incident occurred on the May 23 program, when Meredith Vieira noted that the daily weigh-ins of her dieting co-host, Joy Behar, had ended. “Yes, and thank you, thank you, Jesus, is all I have to say,� Behar replied. Though her words were aired live in much of the country, they were edited out when ABC broadcast the show on the West Coast.

ABC spokeswoman Julie Hoover said the use ran afoul of network standards. The network has no problem with Jesus Christ’s name if it is used in a “prayerful and respectful manner,� she explained, but it does not allow Jesus’ name to be used in an exclamation.

THE ARTS

Bolshoi Theatre to Get Cash Infusion

The Russian government is pumping $180 million into the restoration of Moscow’s world-famous Bolshoi Theatre after a decade of money troubles and artistic decline, the BBC reports.

Four and a half years of rebuilding work are due to begin in 2003, the venue’s general director, Anatoli Iksanov, told the Itar-Tass news agency. Performances are to continue during renovations, with the theater closing only a few months during the summer.

Described by President Vladimir Putin as “the symbol of Russian culture,� the Moscow landmark celebrated its 225th anniversary in 2001. Since the collapse of communism, government funding has decreased.

POP/ROCK

Irish Eyes to Smile on Mills, McCartney?

An international media horde gathered Thursday at a remote 17th century Irish castle hotel, where the owner announced that Paul McCartney and his fiance, Heather Mills, would have their wedding reception next week.

“We are told vaguely it is next Tuesday, but it is all secret. I have to keep it dead-secret,� said Sir John Leslie, owner of Castle Leslie, an offbeat luxury hotel in County Monaghan bordering Northern Ireland. “They might do something at the last minute or change it. You never know.�

McCartney, Leslie said, had visited the hotel last year “and he had a look around.� The venue boasts about 1,000 acres of grounds, a helicopter landing pad and a lake with boats. Preparations for a big party were evident inside the Castle Leslie grounds.

McCartney and Mills, for their part, remain mum about their plans.

Is Security to Blame for Concert Death?

Chris Gratton, a tour manager for the rock-rap band Limp Bizkit, blamed concert organizers Thursday for the death of a young fan at a concert in Sydney, Australia, last year.

Jessica Michalik died after suffering a heart attack when she was caught in a crowd crush during a performance by Limp Bizkit. Her death could have been prevented if promoters had stopped the show, Gratton told an inquest in Sydney, but security staff “just stood back and did nothing.�

Gratton rejected claims that lead singer Fred Durst provoked the crowd by screaming obscenities at them and pointing fingers. Durst is scheduled to give testimony via a video link from Los Angeles on June 17.

Senator Boycotts Backstreet Boy

Backstreet Boys member Kevin Richardson hit a wrong note with a Republican senator when the singer urged Congress on Thursday to crack down on coal mining pollution.

Ohio Sen. George Voinovich said he boycotted a meeting of the Senate environment subcommittee to protest testimony by Richardson--founder of an environmental education group called Just Within Reach--about the impact of mountaintop mining in his home state of Kentucky. “I am not a scientist, but I do know what I’ve seen on flights over the coalfields,� Richardson testified.

Democratic leaders of the panel invited Richardson “to make a media stunt out of what is a serious issue,� a Voinovich spokesman complained.

QUICK TAKES

Hugh Jackman (“Swordfish,� “X-Men�) will star in a new musical, “The Boy From Oz,� based on the rise to fame of the late Australian entertainer Peter Allen. The project, due to premiere on Broadway in September 2003, will feature music by Allen and a book by Martin Sherman (“Bent�).... Mel Gibson, who plays a cop in the “Lethal Weapon� movies, has given a $10,000 college bond to the stepdaughter of David March, a sheriff’s deputy shot in the line of duty in Irwindale on April 29.... Showtime has greenlighted a two-hour pilot of “The Ranch,� a series about Nevada women working at a legal bordello near Reno. ... Tickets for KROQ-FM’s 10th annual Weenie Roast concert, which will take place June 15, go on sale at noon Saturday.