TELEVISIONQuake Alters Ratings: The A.C. Nielsen Co....

TELEVISION

Quake Alters Ratings: The A.C. Nielsen Co. won’t be counting ratings for Los Angeles television stations for last Monday and Tuesday in its monthly averages. Nielsen has decided that power outages following the Jan. 17 earthquake distorted the geographical balance in the five counties comprising the Los Angeles market. When Nielsen initially released its ratings for the day of the quake, it issued a statement cautioning its clients to limit use of the figures because of the low number of sets reporting data, which could have impacted on the accuracy of the results. Nielsen has since stricken those figures from the subscribing stations’ records.

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Losing to the Ratings--Again: Chevy Chase gets a case of deja vu in his latest commercial--a spot for Doritos Tortilla Thins that premieres Sunday during the second quarter of NBC’s Super Bowl XXVII broadcast. In the 60-second spot, the ratings game once again spells demise for the former talk show host. This time Hollywood-type network executives abruptly oust him from a starring spot in a “Super Bowl Commercial” because his ratings are low. So Chase is shown off the set--but is permitted to keep a bag of Doritos Tortilla Thins for company.

OSCAR WATCH

Pre-Academy Awards: Golden Globe winner Steven Spielberg will receive yet another award Feb. 27 when he is presented the American Society of Cinematographers’ Board of Governor’s Award for his “extraordinary contributions to advancing the art and appreciation of visual storytelling.” The award is given only periodically for exceptional achievements. . . . Director Andrew Davis, considered a strong contender for an Oscar nomination for “The Fugitive,” will receive the annual Commitment to Chicago Award from the Chicago Film Critics Assn. at the group’s annual awards ceremony Feb. 7. . . . And a bit of advance news from the Oscar ceremony itself--Paul Newman will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and Deborah Kerr will be presented with an honorary Oscar.

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Spielberg, Part II: Director Spielberg, a front-runner to take home the Academy Award for his black-and-white Holocaust film, “Schindler’s List,” has agreed to go to speak at Oakland’s Castlemont High School, which drew attention last week when 69 of its students were ejected from a showing of the film for laughing at depictions of Nazi atrocities. “Steven is enormously interested in this, partly because it fits into his desire to take part in the education process,” his spokesman said. “He feels that there’s been so much desensitization to violence that these kids can’t be blamed for what happened.”

POP/ROCK

Rappers Support Anti-Gun Program: Los Angeles rap group Cypress Hill today will donate $10,000 to New York’s “Goods for Guns” program, which provides gift certificates to those who turn in guns at the 34th Precinct in the South Bronx. In a statement, the group said: “People say we promote violence with our lyrics, but we’re not into promoting violence and never have been. We talk about what goes on in the street. . . . By talking about it, we try to let people know what really happens in the streets hoping something gets done about it.”

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No Pictures, Please: A federal judge ruled this week that it’s fine to walk, talk, dress or sing like the Beatles, but it’s not OK to use the Fab Four’s name or likeness to do it. U.S. District Judge Robert Echols made the ruling in conjunction with a suit filed against an Akron, Ohio, group once known as “1964 as The Beatles.” Apple Corps, a British organization representing the interests of the Beatles, had sued the group after a 1991 concert that included stage props bearing likenesses of the real McCoy.

QUAKE HELP

Thank Yous: The producers of the Canon Theatre musical “Ruthless!” are rewarding earthquake workers with free tickets to Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evening performances through Feb. 6. Tickets must be reserved by phoning (310) 859-2830, and are free with ID to all Red Cross volunteers, police and firefighters and Department of Water and Power employees.

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Scouting Locations: Film, television and commercial producers left in the lurch by last week’s devastating earthquake are being offered aid by the California Film Commission, which said it will help production companies identify alternative sites for location filming. “While many popular filming locations weathered the storm, others were damaged or cities are unable to accommodate permit requests due to critical quake response duties,” said Patti Stolkin Archuletta, director of the Film Commission. . . . “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno has donated $25,000 to the NBC Earthquake Relief Fund. The money will be designated for “Tonight Show” staffers, several of whom were hard hit by the quake.

QUICK TAKES

Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman, who composed the scores for films including “Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas,” and Jerry Goldsmith, who has composed more than 140 motion picture scores including “Basic Instinct” and “The Omen,” will be honored for their “groundbreaking” film work today when they receive Governors Awards from the L.A. Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. . . . Singer Rod Stewart will receive the American Music Awards’ “Michael Jackson International Artist Award,” named after the award’s first recipient. The awards show airs Feb. 7 on ABC.