ARTUnknown Masterpiece: An oil painting that gathered...

ART

Unknown Masterpiece: An oil painting that gathered dust in an attic for decades after its owner bought it at a French flea market has been identified as a previously unknown still life by the Impressionist master Vincent Van Gogh. The painting, of a vibrant autumn bouquet in a blue vase, on Wednesday went on display at Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, where it will remain through Dec. 31. After that, the owner, who apparently did not recognize the artist’s signature, is expected to sell the work, a museum spokeswoman said. The painting has not yet been valued, but would no doubt fetch millions of dollars. Van Gogh’s “Portrait of Dr. Gachet” sold for $82.5 million in 1990.

MOVIES

Honored: Director Steven Spielberg is getting another honor--he will receive the second annual John Huston Award for Artists Rights at an April 28 Artists Rights Foundation banquet in Los Angeles. In announcing the award Wednesday, actor Tom Cruise, a foundation trustee, lauded Spielberg for his “artistry,” “principles,” “integrity” and “leadership,” saying: “His vision suggests a world that reveres the truth, and preserves historical accuracy.”

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Sold!: The lead Maltese Falcon with bronze patina, one of moviedom’s most elusive and sought-after props, fetched $398,000 Tuesday at a New York sale of movie memorabilia that brought in $1.3 million--the highest ever for an auction of its type. The Christie’s sale also included Victor Fleming’s 1939 directing Oscar for “Gone With the Wind,” which went for $244,500. The Maltese Falcon, one of two falcons used by Humphrey Bogart in the making of the 1931 movie, was bought by Ronald Winston, president of Manhattan’s Harry Winston Inc. jewelers.

LEGAL FILE

Stooges Suit: A Los Angeles jury has awarded more than $2 million to the heirs of Three Stooges members Joe DeRita (“Curly Joe”) and Larry Fine, who claimed the heirs of Stooges founder Moe Howard denied them a fair share of profits from the trio’s work. After three months of testimony and more than a week of deliberations, the jury found that Howard’s grandson, Jeffrey Scott, and daughter, Joan Maurer, breached their contracts with the heirs of DeRita and Fine in regard to distributing merchandising profits from Stooges products. The damages award went primarily to Jean DeRita, Curly Joe’s widow, who got $1.6 million. Fine’s grandchildren were awarded $500,000. A second phase of the trial, to determine any punitive damages, began Wednesday.

TELEVISION

Talk Changes: MCA TV has ceased production on its low-rated syndicated daytime talk show “The Suzanne Somers Show,” which airs locally at noon on KCOP Channel 13. The program, which premiered Sept. 12, will continue in reruns through Feb. 3. . . . Meanwhile, Tribune Broadcasting is jumping into the precarious chat pool. On Monday, its stations will begin broadcasting a weekday talk show hosted by Charles Perez, 31, a former producer on the gab series of Montel Williams, Leeza Gibbons and Jane Pratt. “Charles Perez” will air locally at 4 p.m. on KTLA Channel 5, especially aiming at young-ish viewers.

OPERA

A Little Mite Music: The San Francisco Opera hopes it has solved an itchy problem that had some members of the orchestra laying down their bows to scratch during performances--an infestation of scabies mites. The problem surfaced about a month ago when several musicians complained of itching, and the opera first responded by destroying some mice-infested sofas in the backstage artists’ lounge that were thought to house fleas. When the scratching continued, the San Francisco Health Department concluded the problem was scabies, a contagious skin disease caused by mites that burrow under the skin. On Monday, fumigators were called in and about 200 company members were prescribed a lotion. Nearly 50 opera members were infected, but a spokesman said the microscopic critters could not have reached the audience, nor were any principal singers affected.

QUICK TAKES

Charles Grodin’s new CNBC talk show, which replaces “Tom Snyder” on the cable channel’s “Talk All Stars” lineup, will debut Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. . . . Saxophonist Kenny G’s “Miracle” album sold an estimated 328,000 copies last week and continues to command the No. 1 position on Billboard’s pop album sales chart. . . . Actress Judith Light tonight will receive one of the first Angel Awards, recognizing those who have advanced teen-age HIV/AIDS education, from the Ryan White Foundation in Indianapolis. Light played the late AIDS victim’s mother in the ABC movie “The Ryan White Story.”. . . Filmmaker Spike Lee is a daddy. His wife, Tonya Lewis, gave birth Friday to a 6 1/2-pound girl, Satchel Paige.