PERFORMING ARTSAiley Tribute: Acclaimed actress-playwright Anna Deavere...

PERFORMING ARTS

Ailey Tribute: Acclaimed actress-playwright Anna Deavere Smith will appear on stage to narrate the libretto she composed for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s “Hymn,” a tribute to the late company founder Alvin Ailey featuring choreography by artistic director Judith Jamison. Smith, who has never appeared in the piece outside of New York where it premiered, will perform on Feb. 18 and 19 at the Wiltern Theatre as part of a two-week Ailey engagement presented by UCLA Center for the Performing Arts. Smith’s narration will be heard on tape for other performances of “Hymn,” including Feb. 23-24 at the Wiltern and March 3 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts during the company’s Southland tour.

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McNally to Taper: The Mark Taper Forum has shifted its main stage schedule to make room for Terrence McNally’s “Master Class” in the May 18-June 25 slot. The play will feature Zoe Caldwell as famed soprano Maria Callas, both at the Taper and at Philadelphia Theatre Company, where it plays March 1-26. McNally’s “The Lisbon Traviata,” about Callas fans, played the Taper in 1990. Terry Johnson’s “Hysteria,” which had been slated for the May-June slot, has been moved to July 27-Sept. 3. That slot had been occupied by Derek Walcott’s “Odyssey,” which will be rescheduled next season.

TELEVISION

‘Simpson Story’ Ratings: Despite generally poor reviews, Fox’s Tuesday night offering of “The O.J. Simpson Story” drew enough viewers to become Fox’s highest-rated original movie ever, faring much better than other recent celebrity tell-all movies on the likes of Roseanne and Madonna. However, Fox still ended up in third place for the 8-10 p.m. time slot, with about 10.4 million viewing homes, accounting for about 17% of the homes watching TV at the time. The night’s winner was ABC, which attracted about 23% for its slate of sitcoms including “Home Improvement” and “Grace Under Fire.” NBC and CBS also drew about 17% of viewing homes, with NBC just ahead of Fox and CBS just behind.

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More O.J. Airings: Although CBS last week canceled plans to broadcast the feature film “Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear” later this month because its cast includes O.J. Simpson, cable’s USA Network is going ahead with plans to air the original “Naked Gun: From the Files of the Police Squad,” which also features Simpson, on Feb. 11 at 5 p.m. A USA spokesman said the film was scheduled in October, and was not timed to coincide with Simpson’s murder trial.

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On-Line Weather News: Cable’s Weather Channel goes on-line today, enabling CompuServe users to call up weather reports from throughout the country and ask questions of meteorology experts. The service, which kicks off with an on-line conference with meteorologist Keith Westerledge from 6-7 p.m., also provides subscribers with archival weather reports, weather-related safety tips and other information. To access the service, CompuServe members should type GO: TWCForum.

AWARDS

Salhany Recognized: United Paramount Network President Lucille S. Salhany tonight becomes the first female recipient of the American Jewish Committee’s Sherrill C. Corwin Human Relations Award, honoring an “outstanding leader in the entertainment industry whose efforts to promote inter-group understanding and cooperation have furthered the cause of human rights.” It will be presented at the Regent Beverly Wilshire. Previous honorees include Clint Eastwood, Ted Turner and Bob Hope.

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Honors Galore: The New York Center for Visual History will present a special American Cinema Award to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion tonight recognizing Hefner’s support of film preservation and education efforts as well as his funding of the 10-part PBS documentary “American Cinema.” . . . Director James Ivory (“Howards End,” “The Remains of the Day”) will receive the Directors Guild of America’s D.W. Griffith Award for lifetime achievement during the 47th annual DGA Awards, March 11 at the Beverly Hilton. . . . Producer Steve Tisch (“Forrest Gump”) will receive the Vanguard Award, honoring his “personal contribution toward lesbian and gay equal rights,” from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation on March 12 at the Century Plaza. Previous winners include Aaron Spelling and Roseanne.

QUICK TAKES

Los Angeles rock stalwarts Van Halen put an end to Garth Brooks’ five-week reign at the top of the nation’s pop charts when its new “Balance” album entered the Billboard chart at No. 1, selling 295,000 copies during its first week in the stores. Brooks’ “Hits” slipped to No. 2 with sales of 200,000 units. Among other new releases, risque Oakland rapper Too Short’s “Cocktails” entered the chart at No. 6 with sales of 101,000. . . . David Frost starts the sixth season of his “Talking With . . .” PBS series on Friday with an interview with Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.). During the interview, Dole says he doesn’t expect funding for public broadcasting to be zeroed out despite the current debate in Washington.