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

PEOPLE

New Arena, New Hit?: World Boxing Council welterweight champion and big-time hunk Oscar De La Hoya has signed on for a new phase in his life, as a Latin pop star. A spokeswoman for BMG Latin confirmed Friday that De La Hoya, 26, has signed a distribution contract with the label for his debut album, recorded on De La Hoya’s own Golden Boy Productions label. The deal came after a bidding war between EMI Latin and BMG. “He’s fabulous,” says Sandy Friedman, a publicist for EMI Latin who was involved in the negotiations. “He’s very popish. He’s got an incredible voice.”

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‘A Very Gifted Man’: Dick Clark’s production company is working with Dodd Darin, son of the late Bobby Darin, to develop his father’s life story as a film. “Hopefully, our efforts will in some way do justice to my father’s legacy: a compelling tale of a man overcoming the longest of odds to achieve his dreams and leave his mark in the world of show business,” Darin said. His father’s friend and manager, Steve Blauner, will be a development producer. In 1958, Darin emerged as a singing sensation with “Splish Splash,” and later turned out such hits as “Queen of the Hop,” “Dream Lover” and “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby.” The Grammy Award-winning singer and onetime husband of actress Sandra Dee earned an Oscar nomination in 1963 for his performance in the film “Captain Newman, M.D.” “Bobby was far more than a teen idol who had a meteoric rise to fame. He was a very gifted man,” Clark said. Born with a rare heart condition, Darin died at 37 in 1973 in Los Angeles of a blood infection contracted during open-heart surgery.

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Jerry Talks: Jerry Springer, speaking at Oxford University as part of a British promotional tour this week, evoked the memory of Princess Diana to defend his TV talk show. “She talked about not being faithful in her marriage, she talked about bulimia and she talked about even contemplating suicide,” Springer said, presumably equating Diana’s 1995 tell-all BBC interview with topics frequently featured on his show.

TELEVISION/RADIO

Pickups and Productions: CBS is picking up “JAG,” its Tuesday night drama about the military’s elite legal eagles, for next season. The show, starring David James Elliott and Catherine Bell, is the fifth highest rated drama on television. The pickup will mark the fifth season of the series, produced by Belisarius Productions in association with Paramount Network Television. . . . The Disney Channel has ordered an additional 26 episodes of its original series “So Weird.” Production will begin in Vancouver in May. . . . HBO will begin production next week on “RKO 281,” a TV movie chronicling the making of Orson Welles’ 1941 film classic, “Citizen Kane,” which was originally known by its production number--”RKO 281.” Liev Schreiber will star as Welles; other cast members include James Cromwell, Melanie Griffith, John Malkovich, Roy Scheider and Brenda Blethyn.

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‘Under Construction’: With spots stating that it is “under construction,” modern rock station KLYY-FM (107.1) is overhauling staff and tweaking programming to distance itself a bit more from its dominant dial neighbor KROQ-FM (106.7). All on-air personnel were let go this week, and program director John Duncan is in the process of hiring a replacement crew. First up will be a new morning team featuring Mark Wilson from San Luis Obispo, paired with Frank Murphy. Murphy has been Mark & Brian’s producer at KLOS-FM (95.5), and before that produced Kevin & Bean at KROQ and Jay Thomas at KPWR-FM (105.9). The new team’s debut is tentatively set for March 22. Musically, Duncan says, the change won’t be as drastic, positioning the station, known as Y107, in a niche between KROQ’s youth focus and the more adult female orientation of KYSR-FM (Star 98.7).

MUSIC

‘Gatsby’ Is an Opera: The world premiere of American composer John Harbison’s “The Great Gatsby” is the marquee event on the Metropolitan Opera’s 1999-2000 schedule. Artistic director James Levine will conduct “The Great Gatsby” on Dec. 20. Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, Harbison composed and wrote the libretto, with Murray Horwitz contributing popular song lyrics. Dawn Upshaw will sing Daisy Buchanan and Jerry Hadley will sing Jay Gatsby. Mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt will make her Met debut as Myrtle Wilson.

QUICK TAKES

The best seats are already taken for Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli’s April 15 show at the Arrowhead Pond, but “plenty of tickets” remain that will go on sale at noon Sunday, the Pond reports. . . . CNN’s Jim Moret has been selected as the red-carpet arrivals correspondent for the first official Oscar preview show on ABC, hosted by Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis on March 21. . . . Should director Elia Kazan, who named names during the McCarthy era, receive an honorary Oscar? Charlton Heston defends Kazan while writer Bernard Gordon explains why he is leading a “sit on your hands” campaign for no applause on Oscar night, on “Which Way, L.A.?” on KCRW-FM (89.9) Monday from 1 to 2 p.m., repeated at 7 p.m. . . . Victoria Adams--better known as Posh Spice--gave birth Thursday to a 7-pound son, Brooklyn Joseph. “We are both overjoyed,” said her fiance, soccer star David Beckham.