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

TV & RADIO

Getting ‘Equal Time’: Iran-Contra figure Oliver North will host a new half-hour edition of “Equal Time� on cable’s MSNBC, weekdays at 5 p.m. beginning Monday. MSNBC analyst and former federal prosecutor Cynthia Alksne will co-host the live, Washington-based debate program. On Fridays, the program will expand to fill the full hour. The weekend edition of “Equal Time,� meanwhile, will continue to be hosted by Bay Buchanan and Lawrence O’Donnell. The Monday-Thursday “Equal Time� will lead into John McLaughlin’s new “McLaughlin Special Report�; together, the programs will fill the void left by “Big Show� host Keith Olbermann’s recent move to Fox sports.

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An ‘Imprecise Wordsmith’: Syndicated radio announcer Paul Harvey, heard locally on KABC-AM (790) at noon and 7 p.m., has issued an on-air apology for suggesting that Islam is a “fraudulent religion.� “I believe everything I said, but I would never say it again that way,� Harvey said, noting that he received many protest letters. Between reports about suspected Muslim terrorist Osama bin Laden and gunfire in a Pakistan mosque, Harvey had said on his Jan. 4 broadcast: “Fraudulent religions should be recognized by what they stand for and by what they won’t stand for.� Harvey told listeners Wednesday that the remark was aimed at “terrorists� and not Islam itself. “Terrorists presume to justify their terrorism by identifying themselves with a religion--and they are in every religion,� Harvey said. “When [I] inadvertently implied the Muslim faith was fraudulent, it understandably offended [many listeners]. . . . Followers of Islam, please excuse this imprecise wordsmith for his unintentional slur, and know that I will continue to applaud the good troops of your faith.�

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Impeachment Bumps KCRW Drive: Due to its ongoing coverage of President Clinton’s impeachment trial, KCRW-FM (89.9) has postponed its winter fund-raising drive, which had been scheduled to begin airing today. “I’m concerned about the cash-flow problem, of course,� General Manager Ruth Seymour said Thursday. “I don’t know how long we’re going to have to postpone, but we’re asking people to send in their early renewals. If it goes on a lot longer, we’ll ask people to send in contributions.�

ART

Getty Purchases: The J. Paul Getty Museum was a big buyer at this week’s New York auctions of Old Master drawings. Wednesday at Sotheby’s, the museum paid $343,500 for “The Sacrifice at Lystra,� a rare study (circa 1534) for one of nine tapestries devoted to the life of Saint Paul by Flemish Renaissance artist Pieter Coecke van Aelst. Thursday at Christie’s, the Getty purchased a group of 20 pen and ink drawings (from around 1590) by Italian Mannerist painter Federico Zuccaro for $1.76 million.

POP/ROCK

Hoop There It Is: Rap impresario Master P’s dream of wearing an NBA uniform will be fulfilled--at least temporarily. The performer’s unlikely quest has landed him on the 16-man, preseason roster of the Charlotte Hornets, and the team will likely keep all its players through Thursday, the eve of the delayed season’s opening day. “We need lots of bodies for practice,� said a team spokesman, adding that the rapper has as much chance to make the team as any rookie in camp. Still, the No Limit Records label mastermind is considered a longshot by most observers, and one team official has said that the 6-foot-4 point guard so far lacks the polish to play in the big leagues. Still, Master P has Hornets fans excited: A record 17,000 turned out for a recent scrimmage, with “We want P!� chants heard throughout.

QUICK TAKES

Oscar nomination polls close today, with all ballots due to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences by 5 p.m. . . . Saying that major labels are “neglecting� many of his contemporaries, veteran entertainer Pat Boone has formed a record label that will exclusively feature artists over the age of 45 who have had at least two gold records. One of the initial artists signed to the Gold Reucords label is two-time Grammy winner Jack Jones. . . . Funeral services for veteran blues musician Charles Brown, who died Jan. 21 at the age of 78, will be held Saturday at noon at the Angelus Funeral Home (3875 Crenshaw Blvd.). Singer Bonnie Raitt is among the scheduled participants.