Quick Takes: NBC stands up for ‘Stars Earn Stripes’

NBC defended its new series “Stars Earn Stripes” after nine Nobel Peace Prize winners complained that the show treats military maneuvers like athletic events.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the other Nobel laureates protested Monday in an open letter that the show glorifies war and armed violence. “Preparing for war is neither amusing nor entertaining,” they wrote.

NBC said the show, which was to premiere Monday night, isn’t “a glorification of war, but a glorification of service.” It pairs celebrity participants withU.S. militarypersonnel for simulated military challenges.

—Associated Press

An injury keeps Chenoweth out

Kristin Chenoweth, who was hit in the head last month by a piece of lighting equipment while filmingCBS’”The Good Wife,”said she is leaving the series because of the injury.

“It is with deep regret to inform everyone that due to my injuries, I am unable to return to ‘The Good Wife’ at this time,” the actress said in a statement to People magazine. “[I’m] getting better slowly, and thank you everyone for your concern.”

Chenoweth, who had a recurring role as a reporter, was rushed to the hospital July 11 after a gust of wind blew a piece of lighting equipment out of place, striking her in the head as she was filming a scene on the Brooklyn set. She was released the following day.

CBS Television Studios said it would “love to have her back when she’s feeling better.”

—Greg Braxton

Getty teams with Capitoline

The Getty Museum has added a new partner in its expanding cultural accord with Italy: the city of Rome.

The museum said it has signed a bilateral agreement with Rome’s Capitoline Museums to create a framework for the conservation and restoration of artworks as well as future exhibitions and long-term loans.

The Capitoline Museums are a group of art and archaeological museums that date to the 15th century. They are among the oldest public art museums in the world.

James Cuno, president of the Getty Trust, marked the new partnership with the unveiling of an ancient sculpture titled “Lion Attacking a Horse,” which is being lent to the Getty.

The sculpture, believed to date from the 4th century B.C., is scheduled to remain on display at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades through Feb. 4.

—David Ng

Cut by Dolphins, then by VH1 too

It’s over before it even started: VH1 has canceled “Ev & Ocho” after the arrest of NFL receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson over the weekend.

The series, which followed Evelyn Lozada (a staple on the network via “The Basketball Wives”) and her new hubby, was scheduled to debut Sept. 3. It followed the couple in the weeks leading to their nuptials, which took place July 4.

But after Johnson’s arrest Saturday on domestic violence charges — he allegedly head-butted Lozada during an argument at their Florida home — the network said Monday it has dropped the series, citing “the seriousness of the allegations.”

The announcement came a day after Johnson, a”Dancing With the Stars”alum, was cut from the Miami Dolphins.

—Yvonne Villarreal

L.A. Phil feels like dancing

The Los Angeles Philharmonic will open its new season with a program that focuses on ballet and modern dance.

The gala concert, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, is set for Sept. 27 at Walt Disney Concert Hall and is being organized in partnership with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center.

The concert will feature American Ballet Theatre’s Roberto Bolle and Veronika Part performing selections from “Swan Lake.” The evening also will include a new choreographed work by Barak Marshall set to John Adams’ “The Chairman Dances,” featuring members of the L.A. modern dance company BodyTraffic.

—David Ng

‘Once’musical turns a profit

The Tony Award-winning musical “Once” has proved to be a song at the box office: It has recouped its $5.5 million investment in less than six months.

Producers announced on Monday that the show has turned profitable after just 21 weeks, or “faster than any Tony Award-winning best musical in more than a decade.”

The musical starring Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti is based on the 2006 film about an unlikely romance between a Czech flower seller and an Irish street musician in Dublin.

Traditionally, only about three in 10 Broadway shows recoup.

—Associated Press

Finally

Festival: Director Ang Lee’s 3-D adaptation of the novel “Life of Pi,” about a young man’s travels with a Bengal tiger on a lifeboat, has been selected to launch the New York Film Festival on Sept. 28.