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

TELEVISION / Simpson Suspended for Anthrax Remarks

Carole Simpson, anchor of the Sunday edition of ABC’s “World News Tonight,� has been suspended for two weeks after spreading false information about the recent outbreak of anthrax at the network.

Appearing before the International Women’s Media Foundation in New York on Oct. 16, Simpson said colleague Cokie Roberts had received a letter from Trenton, N.J.--the origin of letters sent to media organizations and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle that were found to contain anthrax.

The network said it did investigate a suspicious letter in its Washington bureau--but the mail did not originate from Trenton and was determined to be harmless.

“I shared some information with the audience that I believed to be accurate about a suspicious letter that had been received at our Washington bureau,� Simpson said in a statement released Thursday. “It turned out that the information about the postmark of that letter was incorrect and I regret the mistake.� Simpson is due back on the air Nov. 4.

Author Regrets Rift With Oprah Winfrey

Writer Jonathan Franzen says he feels awful about a rift with Oprah Winfrey that resulted in her canceling his appearance on her syndicated talk show.

Winfrey had made Franzen’s novel “The Corrections�--the story of a dysfunctional Midwestern family--one of her book club selections. But in the Oct. 12 edition of the Oregonian, a Portland-based newspaper, he said he considered turning down the pick, explaining that having her logo on the cover constituted an implied endorsement--both for him and for her.

That led to Winfrey dropping him.

“It is never my intention to make anyone uncomfortable or cause anyone conflict,� she said.

On Wednesday, the author gave USA Today a qualified mea culpa. “To find myself in the position of giving offense to someone who’s a hero--not a hero of mine per se, but a hero, in general--I feel bad in a public-spirited way,� he said.

MOVIES / Lack of Contenders for New Animation Oscars

What if the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences created a new animated feature film category--and nobody entered? That’s more than a theoretical question, it seems.

Thursday is the deadline for submissions and, so far, the cupboard is bare. “Shrek,� “Final Fantasy,� “Osmosis Jones,� the upcoming “Monsters, Inc.�--just for starters? Nowhere to be seen.

John Pavlik, the academy’s director of communication, suspects it’s a matter of politics rather than lack of interest. The person picking up the award must be specified on the entry form and approved by each of the credited producers and directors, he explains. The choice is far more obvious in categories such as best picture or best director than in areas such as sound, visual effects or animation.

“I’d like to be a fly on a wall at the meetings going on,� Pavlik told The Times Thursday. “There’s probably a lot of give and take. I think we’ll end up with the eight contenders we need--but I bet they won’t come in until next Tuesday or Wednesday.�

Animation is a tougher category to fill than best picture because the pool of potential candidates is so much smaller.

POP/ROCK / Government, Assailant Apologize to Harrison

George Harrison has received an official apology from London health authorities after an independent investigation criticized the government for failing to care for the schizophrenic man who broke into the former Beatle’s home in December 1999, knifing Harrison in the chest and puncturing a lung.

Michael Abram later confessed to the attack but claimed to be “possessed� at the time. According to E-online, the inquiry by St. Helens and Knowsley Health Authority concluded that Abram should have been institutionalized at least 18 months prior to the attempt on Harrison’s life. Abram also issued an apology, saying that he felt guilty for what happened.

On Oct. 1, Harrison recorded his first single since being treated for brain cancer earlier this year. “A Horse to Water,� which he co-wrote with his son Dhani and recorded with British musician Jools Holland, will appear on Holland’s “Small World, Big Friends� album.

QUICK TAKES

Ingmar Bergman, 83, is planning to stage his play “Anna� for Swedish Television next year. Swedish media speculated that it will be a sequel to his “Scenes From a Marriage,� a six-part TV series that was made into a 1973 film.... Due to a schedule change, Placido Domingo will conduct two additional performances of “La Traviata� at Los Angeles Opera: the matinee Saturday and the final performance on Nov. 10.... Orson Welles’ “The War of the Worlds� will be broadcast at 9 p.m. Wednesday on KNX-AM (1070).... Saturday’s breast cancer benefit concert featuring Third Eye Blind, Seal, Deftones and others has been moved from the Greek Theatre to the Wiltern Theatre.... Lea Salonga of “Miss Saigon� fame and the current “Flower Drum Song,� and comedy writer Bruce Vilanch will host the annual Ovation Awards ceremony at the Kodak Theatre on Nov. 12.... The fourth season of “Survivor� will take place on the South Pacific island of Nuku Hiva, CBS said Thursday.